Teach Me One Last Thing
by some1ders13
Summary: As Mafuyu graduates, she asks Takaomi for one last thing.
1. The One Thing Mafuyu Wanted to Learn

**Disclaimer: **Nope, there's no ownership of _Oresama Teacher_ here… Otherwise, Mafuyu would've gotten jiggy with someone by now.

**AN: **I usually don't write fanfiction, but due to the serious lack of _Oresama Teacher_ fandom, drastic steps were taken. There are some spoilers for the beginning chapters, mostly for characters. Also I apologize for any grammar errors; constructive criticism is appreciated! Hope I can stay true to the awesomeness Izumi Tsubaki has created. Anyways, enjoy.

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><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part One_

Mafuyu Kurosaki could hardly believe three years had gone by since she first came to Midori Ga Oka Academy. Yet, the sakura trees blossomed, her classmates hugged and cried into each other's shoulders, and she turned 18. Mafuyu barely grasp the fact that only three years ago she transferred schools and cut her yankee hair; that she tried to become a girly girl, but instead turned into a cross-dressing girl; that she first met her best friends, Hayasaka and the Banchou, who were in no shape or form girly girls (well, most of the time). Most of all, Mafuyu rediscovered her old friend—no, her childhood hero—Takaomi Saeki.

So many things happened at this run down school. And now she's leaving. She could sense the tears threatening to bubble up, but swallowed them down. There was one last thing she wanted to do before she left.

Mafuyu made sure to squeeze the life out of Hayasaka with a monster hug, and catch Yui and give him a proper goodbye. There wasn't really anyone else she wanted to see off before she left. Banchou, thankfully, managed to graduate the year before, and Maizono and Kenkawa already said they were going out to celebrate with her. So, that left her with one last person to see.

"Hey, Mafuyu." She turned around, and of course, a certain sadistic teacher scared her and made her reel back a meter with his sudden appearance. "What's your deal?" Takaomi looked at her quizzically, still with that ever-present smirk peeking through his expression.

"Nothing," Mafuyu stuttered out, quietly. She had planned carefully what she would say to him when it came time for her to graduate and move on. Now that he was actually here, staring down at her, Mafuyu felt her words slip away. Even so, she continued on, not remembering a single line of her premeditated goodbye.

"Takaomi-kun, there's something I want to ask you," Mafuyu managed to murmur out. He didn't reply, instead only offering his usual blank, somewhat condescending stare.

"Um, how do I put this…" She rubbed the back of her head, hoping maybe some of her words were come back to her.

"Are you alright? You're being quiet, and your face is red." What a way to make a girl feel at ease! Still, she kept her embarrassment from erupting, and persevered…that is until he put his hand on her forehead to gauge her temperature. There was no way she could build up to her last request now. No, she was forced to blurt it out in one go, or else she would never end up saying it. Mafuyu pushed his hand away, looked straight into his eyes, and secured her stance.

"Takaomi-kun, I want you to teach me one last thing." Now there was the next part, the hard part. She gulped down her fear. Then yelled so nearly anyone in a 100-meter radius could hear, "Teach me how to kiss!"

The wide eyes came not only from Takaomi, but also from everyone else standing near them.

"Wow, you must really be burning up, Mafuyu. Let's take you to the infirmary," Takaomi quickly recovered. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the watching, whispering crowd of students, teachers and their families partaking in the graduation celebration. She noticed they weren't heading towards the infirmary after a while, though. Actually, they were heading towards the abandoned building where she fought countless fights in the past years. He stopped in front of the doors, looked around for any witnesses, and then glared down at her.

"Did you just scream now to the entire school that you want me to kiss you?" As amusing as it sounded to Mafuyu, she dared not chuckle with the death stare Takaomi was giving.

"No…" Somehow she could tell that his glare intensified without even looking at him, "I said I wanted you to teach me how to kiss," Mafuyu peeped out.

It took several moments for him to reply, whether it was from embarrassment or anger, she couldn't tell. When he spoke, Takaomi kept his poker face and simply said, "Why?"

"Well, um… that is… uh—" In a flash, Takaomi balled his fist in her collar and even quicker, Mafuyu responded, "I wanted to know how to do it right before I go out into the world, so I wouldn't be an idiot, and you're the only one I know that _I know_ knows how to do that!" He released her from his hold, just as calmly as before.

"Somewhere in those jumble of words, I think I understood your reason," Takaomi replied in a calm manner. He looked away from her for a moment, almost as if he was seriously deciphering her words. His steady gaze moved back to Mafuyu, who was most certainly a bright cherry red now. "Nevertheless, I can't do that, Mafuyu." His expression was serious, but for once she could tell that it wasn't meant to be mean, but sincere. Now that she word vomited her reasons, she wanted to know his. Mafuyu expected that answer from him, but not in this calm, honest demeanor he was using now. She was prepared for being smacked on the head or thrown across the school, or at least severely glared at for a longer period of time. She wanted to know why he responded to her controversial request like he did.

"Why?"

"Isn't it clear as to why? I'm your teacher and much older than you. It's not right." Takaomi almost looked flustered to her.

"But that's why you should do it."

"What? Did you hit your head today or catch something? You're not making any sense."

"No, it makes perfect sense, Takaomi-kun!" She gazed up at him earnestly, unwavering; it almost made Takaomi loose his cool. "You've taught me almost everything important to me. I learned how to fight, how to never give up, how to do math, how to go after what I want, all from you. Kissing's a pretty important part of life too, isn't it?" He was silent again for a moment, but this time, he didn't look at her. Could he be really contemplating her request? Was her argument that convincing!

"Fine."

"Huh?"

"Look, do you want me to do this or not?"

"Yes!"

"Alright. Lesson number one: close your eyes." Mafuyu obeyed quickly. She even puckered out her lips, even though she wasn't sure if that right. Well, he would show her the right way either way…that is if he ever says anything else! What was taking him so long? She didn't want to open her eyes, for fear that she'd see either his death stare or his kissing face (which may not be so bad). Yet, Mafuyu was always so impatient. She opened her eyes.

Running down the road almost out of sight was Takaomi Saeki.

"Get back here! TAKAOMI-KUN! KISS ME, DAMMIT!"

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><p><em>To be continued<em>


	2. The One Thing Mafuyu Hoped to Avoid

**Disclaimer: **Still no ownership of _Oresama Teacher_… or much of anything else for that matter.

**AN:** Before any Banchou fans read this, know that I adore him, and am only using his as a comedic device. You'll know what I mean later.

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><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part Two_

How stupid could she be! Of course Takaomi would try to trick his way out of this! Well, no worries; Mafuyu just needed to prepare a trap for him. A very sneaky trap (well, as sneaky as she could be).

This needed much thinking on her part; however, thinking was not something well acquainted with. Perhaps if she just took it step by step, it might work. What was something she could work off of? Mafuyu did remember once that Yui told her, during another failed ninja training session, one must always keep the target in sight. _Crap_. She already messed up that part. Try as she did, not even a little blur of Takaomi was visible from her distance.

She could always try to chase after him. Mafuyu was pretty good at that when it came to Takaomi. Then again, he would expect that from her. Another strategy was needed…

Ah ha! Mafuyu would stake out his apartment! It would be pretty easy to do, seeing as he lived right next door. She would have to get some tool to watch his apartment, though. There was no way she could sit outside his door until he came home…or could she? No, that would ruin the element of surprise; anyone that knew how to fight knew how critical surprise was. Maybe a stethoscope to listen through the walls could work? No, she didn't even know where to get one of those. Somehow she needed to constantly watch his apartment for any activity, but how?

…Another idea hit Mafuyu. She didn't particularly like it: breaking into his apartment. It would be no problem; she had done breaking and entering a number of times when she was banchou at her old school. Still…she had worked so hard to rid her criminal tendencies after her arrest. It would be so embarrassing to get arrested again within three years of her first one. They would send her to prison! How would she survive there, where everyone knew how to fight! It was a grim future… if it went wrong. It wouldn't. Her goal was too important to give up on. He was too important.

Even if Takaomi was upset or disgusted or whatever at her request, she knew there was no one else she would ask. No one could compare. Besides, it wasn't like she was asking to be his girlfriend, or worse— asking him for _sex_. He was such a dirty old man already. Just a couple tips and lessons was all she wanted…

With her plan decided, Mafuyu headed home to Strawberry Heights in the most convoluted, confusing route she had ever taken. For a while, she thought she was lost; actually, she wandered into the next town—over five miles away. Nevertheless, she had to do it. If she went the normal way, there was the possibility she would run into him. Luckily, by nightfall, Mafuyu arrived at Strawberry Heights.

Before even taking a step into the complex, she checked her surroundings. No one so far. Mafuyu then took the stairs, stopping at every floor to survey the layout. Things were going smoothly. Finally, when she made it to their floor, Mafuyu took off her shoes and scaled the wall; she couldn't risk loud footsteps or an obvious silhouette. _Please don't let any of the neighbors see me_, Mafuyu prayed to herself. His door was just in reach now…

The door opened.

Takaomi walked out.

Mafuyu froze on the spot. Perhaps she could blend into the wall!

"Mafuyu, I can see you. You're not much of a wallflower or a ninja," Takaomi stated as fact. She remained unmoving and silent. If he was trying to make her give up, it wasn't going to work!

Instead of shutting her out, ruining her plan of attack, or throwing her down the hall, he invited her in.

"Come in. We should talk about earlier."

Mafuyu followed him into his apartment, not announcing any of the dozens of questions popping in her head. After reacting so weirdly when she asked him before, it was odd to see him act like nothing was terribly wrong. He ran away for god's sake! In a full on sprint! That was pretty extreme for him. Nothing he did today seemed normal. Only once did he threaten her today! That was unheard of in their relationship. Nevertheless, she situated herself at the table and anticipated some sort of answer from him.

"You're so quiet today. It's bizarre," Takaomi casually stated as he sat down.

"I'm bizarre! You're the one who keeps on changing your mood; at least I'm sticking with one." Mafuyu hit the table to show her feeling of indignation. Instead, Takaomi simply gave her an equally annoyed glare.

"You think asking your teacher to kiss you isn't bizarre?" Okay, he did have a point there.

"Normally it would be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're not the normal teacher for starters. And secondly, you're my friend." Well, that was a nice sentiment on her part; and certainly they were good friends even after all the years. However, there was always the chance physical entanglements would ruin a friendship. Mafuyu had already thought about that with Takaomi—which was why she knew she could ask him to do this.

"Why don't you ask Hayasaka or someone else then?"

Takaomi was maintaining his expression of nonchalance, but Mafuyu began to notice how much he was trying to corner her into a place where she had no explanation for choosing him. Sadly, he would be disappointed.

"Because they wouldn't know what to do. Also, they'd probably never be able to face me again if I did."

"Mafuyu, that doesn't mean I'm any better of a choice. And besides, why are you even asking for kissing lessons? Most people just go out and experiment."

"I don't want to do that some stranger. It needs to be someone I trust and am comfortable with."

"Your first kiss is never going to be comfortable."

"I know. It wasn't." Uh oh, she really didn't want to mention that.

Takaomi was silent for a long while. It was just like before, with that heavy sense of deep thinking in the air, except with a hint of that deadly, all too familiar aura. Then he blurted it out.

"Who was it?"

"Why?"

"Hayasaka? Yui? Someone outside of school?" It was almost as if he was interrogating her. What business of it was his? She really didn't want to share that information with him. Who knew how he'd react; he'd probably tease her and then she'll feel like even more of an idiot today. She refused to tell him.

"I don't want to say."

"I won't teach you how to kiss if you don't tell me." Takaomi always played so dirty. She knew she couldn't avoid the ultimatum now. Hopefully, if she told him, something good could come out of it. It was a necessary sacrifice. She pleaded it would be quick and painless.

"Fine! …it was Okegawa," Mafuyu murmered and she twiddled her thumbs in nervousness.

"Really? You're kidding me? The banchou of our school that only calls you Morse Girl." Just as she thought; he was going to tease her. Tell her how they could never have decent kisses or something just as humiliating.

"I know. It was really awkward. I didn't even see it coming." She could most definitely sense her face turning red again for the umpteenth time.

"Mafuyu, he's had a crush on you for a while."

"What? No way! I'm not cute or girly enough for someone to crush on me." Sure, she was always better friends with boys than girls, but that was because they always saw her as one of the guys. Guys don't develop crushes on tomboys like her.

Yet, she saw Takaomi with a knowing smile on his features. He was about to say something, but stopped himself, before he stated something else.

"Alright then, why don't you tell me what happened and I can point out what went wrong?" Was she hearing things right? Was he _really_ accepting her request now! Or at least a part of it!

"So, you'll teach me? You're the best, Takaomi-kun!" Mafuyu wanted to jump across the table and give him a big, lovey-dovey hug. Yet, with the annoyed expression on his face, she didn't want to risk his generous mood.

"Hey, hey, don't get carried away. All I'm teaching right now is what not to do, alright?"

Now, all she had to do was tell him what happened… On that fateful, awkward, humiliating night when Kyoutaro "Banchou" Okegawa kissed her.

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><p>To be continued<p> 


	3. The One Thing Mafuyu Wished to Forget

**Disclaimer: **_Oresama Teacher_ doesn't belong to me, sadly…but a new, niffy iPhone 4 does!

**AN:** Sorry for the long update. You know, life happens. Or procrastination. One of the two. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and I hope to satisfy your demands with this piece. JustinneXD, your comment brought a giggle to face. Thanks ;)

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><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part Three_

Well, the hard part was done… or so she thought. Mafuyu always thought the hardest part of this little indecent proposal of hers would be convincing Takaomi to agree to this. And now he had. Kind of. Of course, he decided to make it even harder by reliving her first, horribly awkward and embarrassing first kiss. A part of her wondered if he was doing this just to spite her, tease her, all the usual sadistic things he liked to do.

However, when she lifted her gaze to his face, there wasn't any malice. It was surprisingly blank. She supposed he must be trying to really pay attention—or completely zoning out. Either way, it did make her feel more comfortable. He was making her do this to help her. Takaomi taught her early on in life that pain was temporary, and the reward was always worth it. Mafuyu just need to keep that trust in him.

So, she began, with a rock forming in her throat and a light sweat emerging… and his impenetrable eyes watching her.

"It happened at the end of last year. We had been spending more time with each other then, now I think about it. We crammed for finals together and then celebrated with a marathon of Nekomata-san movies. When we left the movie theater, he gave me a present. It was a new phone with a Nekomata-san cover, since I broke my other one. I gave him a hug to thank him and then…" She didn't know if she could bear to go on. This was one of the most excruciating things she had ever done! This was worst than getting beat to a pulp! (Maybe not so much, but it wasn't too far off).

"Don stop now. This is the funny part—I mean important part," Takaomi poorly covered up.

"Well, then he turned bright red and I thought he was getting sick or something, so I lifted my hand to feel his temperature." That reminded her of something Takaomi had done to her not too long ago. It seemed that he didn't notice the parallel with his empty face. "But then he grabbed my hand and… you know… kissed me."

"That's it? It sounds pretty romantic so far." Despite the sentiment, Takaomi kept a bored stare. He leaned on his hand, and Mafuyu could swear a yawn would pop out any moment. But it didn't, so she was forced to continue.

"I guess I should've mentioned that my eyes were open the whole time, and he nearly squeezed me to death, and I almost suffocated, and at the end of it, he ran away faster than you did today."

"Yeah, that sounds more like it. Did you talk to him after that?"

"Not until his graduation celebration. I think things are fine between us now, but I don't know… it feels like things have changed."

"Obviously. He kissed you."

"Yeah." Mafuyu thought glumly on that remark. Fortunately, Takaomi decided to spare her the new emotions from this experience. Instead, he began telling her the errors.

"It seems like he did alright until the kiss. Very nice build up on his part," Takaomi noted as he rubbed his chin, as if willing a wise beard to grow. "But, you ruined it when you tried get his temperature. It was too physical of a move, especially before a first kiss. When you're on a first date, you need to restraint the physical contact, so you can save the intimacy for the end of the date." Ah, the words of a serial kisser—or so Mafuyu thought.

"Alright then. So, no touching before a kiss?" Where was pen and paper when you needed it, Mafuyu thought as she tried to commit the words to memory.

"No—not exactly. Just that you need to keep it to a minimum. Hand holding or arm linking is fine on a first date. But hold off on the hugs and caresses."

"Caresses?"

"You know, feeling them up? Lightly rubbing their knee, or arm over their shoulder. Actually, in you case, since you were at the movies, that would've been acceptable." Now that he mentioned that, she did remember during the movie that Banchou accidentally whacked her on the face with his arm; maybe he was trying to do that…

"Anyway, for the part when you finally kissed, you need to make sure it's mutual."

"How?"

"Well, um… I don't know. It just is."

"I need clues!" She was a tomboy, not a romantic!

"I guess standing closer to each or staring into their eyes for a period of time is a sign."

"But, that happens all the time."

"What?"

"Looking into someone's eyes. I mean we're doing that right now."

"It's different, Mafuyu. It's just something you can tell. I don't know how else to explain it."

Mafuyu wanted to retort that he could always show her like she wanted him to do in the first place. However, Takaomi was giving enough as it already was. She didn't want to test her limits now. "Alright then." She looked around his room then, trying to find a notepad and writing utensil before she forgot anything he said. When she found it on his desk next to his bed, Mafuyu quickly walked over to it, ripped a piece of paper out and started to write. Takaomi looked back at her, confused and amused.

"Wait, are you writing this stuff down?" Mafuyu could just hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yeah. Shouldn't I?" Mafuyu asked earnestly as she turned away from the desk, back towards him. It made sense to her. This was important stuff she needed to keep in mind for most likely the rest of her life!

"I suppose you can. It's really just common sense, Mafuyu." Hadn't he realized by now that she had none of that sense to speak of? It was irritating at how much he assumed was 'normal'. He probably had no trouble when he did it, so he was looking down at her, like he usually did. Yet, Mafuyu felt that he shouldn't. It was perfectly logical to look down in the sense that he what he was doing and she didn't. For some unknown reason, it aggravated her. Then she blurted it out.

"Maybe if you showed me, I wouldn't have to." She's just spewing jibberish now! It must be really late by now, maybe she was exhausted from a long day, and didn't know what she was saying. Luckily, he didn't hear her; she sort of said it under her breath.

"No." He did hear her. There was a pause, perhaps he wanted to elaborate on the reason. Instead, he went back his earlier lesson. "Back to the problems. When you kiss someone, always close your eyes. Not only is it a strange sight to see someone's face so close, but it also makes the sensation of the kiss much better."

"I got a little cross-eyed when it happened too."

"Exactly. Next part, hugging. For a first kiss, really only your lips should touch. Unless things were heated, it's best to save the closer stuff for later. And then, the issue you had with not breathing, you need to either do it lightly with your nose or take short breaks in between kissing. Lastly, as to answer why he ran away…that's just teenage boy behavior."

"Oh…that's it?" Unlike the last note he given her about feeling the time when to kiss, the rest seemed surprisingly straight-forward; almost like it was a science instead of an art.

"What do you mean that's it? That information is golden for someone like you."

"Sorry, that's not what I meant… I didn't expect the answers to be so simple. I always thought kissing was a complex mating ritual."

"It can be. Your kissing should be kept simple."

"Because I'm inexperienced?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered quickly, without meeting her eyes. Looking at the clock on the wall, he announced, "Alright, lesson over. You can go home now." He gave a long yawn after that statement, as if encouraging her to get out faster so he could get to sleep.

"Okay. I'll see you around then." Mafuyu grabbed her belongings, slipped her shoes back on, and made her way to the door. She wanted to get home too. Get some shut eye so all the new information can soak in her head over night. Just as she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, she heard Takaomi say something.

"Wait—"

"What is it?" There he was standing, right behind her, too close for comfort. He leaned down, with his eyes closed, and for what seemed like hours, got closer and closer to her face.

In an instant, Takaomi was kissing her… on the cheek. Still, it was a step in the right direction. Mafuyu remembered to close her eyes too, like he said. Of course, he was right about the sensation too. Were all lips as soft as his?

"Now, that's how you kiss someone goodbye on a first date." Takaomi straightened up, and pushed her away from him, out of the way of the door.

"Hold on! That wasn't mutual! You surprised me!"

"It seemed mutual to me; you didn't pull away, did you?"

"No, but—"

"Besides, you said you couldn't tell that sort of stuff anyway. For all you know, it was mutual."

"Takaomi-kun! You jerk! I'm going home." Mafuyu declared as she stomped down the hallway. Behind her, she could hear Takaomi laughing lightly.

"I'll see you around, Mafuyu-chan!"

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><p><em>To be continued <em>


	4. The One Thing Mafuyu Wasn't Expecting

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the Japanese manga _Oresama Teacher_. It belongs to Izumi Tsubaki, a Japanese woman in Japan who speaks Japanese. Not me: an American woman in America who speaks very broken Japanese.

**AN: **Well, this chapter faced a bit of brain farting, so I apologize for the smell. And I'm introducing another one of Mafuyu's love interests in this chapter, so I also apologize for incurring fan-girl fury. But don't worry, it's all for a good reason! I swear! As a warning, I bring up topics from more of the recent chapters, so SPOILER ALERT!

If you guys are interested, check out my DA profile; I've added some _Oresama Teacher _fanart. The link is on my author profile.

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><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part Four_

When Mafuyu plopped herself onto her bed, she could barely contain her lively thoughts. She just returned from Takaomi's apartment next door, and what she experienced there was far from the norm. Not only had he agreed to her request of teaching her how to kiss… but he also kissed her. It wasn't on the lips, and frankly she was glad of it. If her heart felt like it was going to escape from her chest just after a kiss on the cheek, she didn't even want to imagine what would happen from a kiss on the lips. Maybe her heart would actually explode from her chest. She would go down in history as the first person that died from a heart explosion.

As badly as she wanted to just drift to sleep and ignore her thoughts, Mafuyu forced herself to change out of her school clothes and slip into something more comfortable. She wondered if Takaomi was doing the same thing then. Were his thoughts as active and crazy and confusing as hers? Probably not. Never in the years she had known him, did Mafuyu ever see Takaomi flustered by his thoughts or anything else for the matter. Of course he had fears, she was sure of that. Like losing Midori Ga Oka to those greedy real estate workers. Takaomi must have worried about his grandfather and what it would mean to lose his most cherished possession. Nevertheless, Mafuyu never witnessed that anxiety on his features. Those perfectly chiseled, dark, smug features…

Oh god! Was she really fantasizing about him? Mafuyu felt embarrassed for herself then. She smothered her head into the pillow, in a futile attempt to banish these thoughts. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She took in account the fact that physical engagements might ruin friendships before she considered this wild favor of hers. That was why she asked Takaomi; he could separate business from pleasure… but could she?

Before Mafuyu managed to finish that thought, sleep took her into its arms, pushing away these doubts.

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><p><em>Beep! Beep! Beep!<em>

"I'm awake Mom!" Mafuyu cried as she launched herself from her bed. She lived alone for the last three years and still imagined her mom blaring the alarm in her ear. Once she threw the covers open and dragged her limp body from the bed, Mafuyu saw the source of the noise. It was her phone. There was a new text.

_Maizono got sick. Need to reschedule. Maybe two of us can go out and see a movie 2morrow instead? –Kenkawa_

Mafuyu stared at the text for a long while without really understanding it. This couldn't be right. It almost sounded like he wanted to go on a date. It was eerily familiar of her last, unofficial date invitation from the Banchou. But this was her old subordinate, longtime friend and comrade in arms. Why would he want that?

Mafuyu typed in a reply with hesitant fingers.

_Like a date? _

A couple of seconds later, he responded.

_Yeah._

What the hell was she supposed to say to that? Nevertheless, Mafuyu, against the impending feeling of stress, embarrassment, and worry… agreed to it.

_Ok. Where do u want 2 meet?_

A beep later and she saw her fate.

_Ame's Café 7. We can catch a movie after. ;)_

Oh, boy, he even emoticon winked at her. It wasn't too far fetched for him to do that, but still…it just exuded pure cuteness and flirtation.

_See u then. :) _

Mafuyu had sealed her destiny then. Okay, not that extreme. It was Kenkawa, one of her closest friends and her old right hand man. As far as friends went, he was one of the most straightforward and sincere. They always had fun with each other, between their shaved ice competition and the time they went to the beach where she made a heap of rice. This date was nothing to worry about. It would be fun. No need to think about kissing and all of that romantic stuff.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Mafuyu flicked her gaze back to her phone. What she read made her breath catch in her throat.

_What flowers do u like? Or maybe u want some chocolate? I want to get u something nice _–Kenkawa

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><p>"Are you trying to break down my door?" Takaomi glowered at Mafuyu; moments earlier it sounded like an entire stampede of elephants attacked his door. A usual annoyed expression was plastered on his face, but it was accompanied with the hazy cover of the waking up face. He looked particularly menacing, even with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth and damp hair. He must have just gotten out of the shower. The damp hair wasn't the only clue, though.<p>

Takaomi was only wearing a towel around his waist.

"Uh…" Mafuyu couldn't take her eyes off his chest. This is what guys must feel like when they look at big boobs. Instead of big boobs, Takaomi was the proud owner of finely sculpted abdomen and chest muscles. Not too big, not too small, and just enough to make a girl drool until her mouth dried up.

"Hey, my eyes are up here," Takaomi said as he snapped his fingers in her face. "What do you want? It's 8:00 on a Saturday morning. I've got things to do." Mafuyu cleared her throat before talking, looked clearly into his eyes, and tried to tone down her blush.

"I've got a big problem! A you know what problem!" Mafuyu stared at him with a downcast head, too embarrassed to clearly state her issue. She hoped he would get the hint, as it was the last thing they spoke of to each other. After a too long moment of silence, and no sign that Takaomi was responding, Mafuyu continued.

"A you know what _kissing_ problem," she quietly, exasperatedly explained.

"And?" He tightened his towel, and readjusted his toothbrush.

"Aren't you going to help?" Mafuyu exclaimed as she did her best not to move her gaze back down his body.

"Wasn't last night enough?" Kissing wise or information wise? Either way, she needed more before her meeting with Kenkawa.

"Yes and no. Please, can you help me? This is really serious!" Mafuyu pleaded with the biggest, brightest eyes and the best pout she could muster. She didn't even know if she was doing it right. She had only one lesson in pouting and it came from a guy dressed up like a girl over two years ago. Apparently, it worked, as Takaomi dropped his ultra irritated face to a medium irritated face.

"Fine. Wait in the living room." Takaomi walked back into his apartment, and immediately went into his bathroom. As Mafuyu situated herself at the same table where they had their meaningful lesson the night before, she heard a series of gargling and spitting from the bathroom. Very attractive. However, Takaomi made up for it soon after.

"Crap." Mafuyu heard a muffled Takaomi say behind his door. Then it opened, but only a fraction with a sliver of his face showing. She could sense the scowl on his face, even if she couldn't see it all the way. Then in a deadly calm voice he asked, "Can you bring me my clothes? I left them on the bed."

What? Was he serious? If she didn't know him better, Mafuyu would think this was a clever ploy to seduce her. In response, her heart exploding condition reemerged tenfold. As she slowly got up, in a near cardiac arrest trance, she asked him a question she should have never uttered.

"Why didn't you bring them with you?" The pile of clothes were in her hand, neatly folded and in order from largest to smallest…which meant his underwear, a pair of modest black boxers, was on the top.

"Well, I usually don't have guests at this hour."

The doctors would find it logical if her heart leap out of her chest and flew across the room now, right? Look at all of these hazards around her! Not only was she holding the underwear of a naked man within a ten-foot radius of said man, but was also forced to imagine him walking around his room in said nude state! If this was coincidence, Mafuyu could no longer believe in chance—this was just plain, old cruel fate.

Mafuyu gulped down a brick before she muttered, "Here you go," and handed the clothes to the outreached hand peeking from the door.

"Thanks." Takaomi curtly replied, and to Mafuyu's relief, quickly closed the door.

What an end to a horrific, traumatic, and oh so exhilarating experience.

When Takaomi came out the bathroom, a minute or so later, the brilliant blush was still on Mafuyu's face. How her face wasn't permanently red yet, she didn't know. Either he didn't notice or didn't care about her red face, since he cut straight to the point.

"What is so urgent of a problem that you rush here so early in the morning that I'm not even out of the shower yet?"

"If you had said to come back after your shower, I would of," Mafuyu retorted, and immediately regretted it. A powerful, looming hand latched onto the top of her head and the frightening, deadly aura of Takaomi erupted.

"What were you saying?" He quietly demanded as his eyes turned a shade darker and the aura around them grew heavier.

"I have an urgent problem and I need your help?" Mafuyu replied, in a manner of a question instead of an actual answer.

"Uh huh. And is that how you ask Takaomi-sama for favors?" The aura continued to expand and pressed down on Mafuyu's poor little soul.

"Please help with this problem, Takaomi-sama." Gratefully, Takaomi retreated his hand and the deadly aura evaporated. He trained her well.

"Yes, Mafuyu, what can I do for you?"

"I got asked out on a date this morning."

"So soon? Someone's got their suitors lining up," Takaomi smirked, and in a surprisingly unthreatening manner.

"Hey, this is my first date in a year. And to be honest I'm not even sure if he sees me that way, but then he sent me this weird text and—"

"Let me see," Takaomi ordered with a palm up hand. She placed it in his hand, trusting he would just look at the recent texts…which was all there was to look at. Mafuyu didn't have the money or fashion sense to keep up with newer phone gadgets.

He kept an objective, observing face as he read through the messages. He gave a thoughtful 'hmm' once he was done and handed the phone back to her.

"Sounds like a date to me. The flowers are a dead give away. Who's this guy?"

"Kenkawa Kouhei. He was the second in command at my old school when I was banchou. He took my place and was banchou there until he graduated."

"You two close?"

"Yeah, he's one of my closest friends."

"Some say the best place to start a romance is from a friendship." Takaomi intently held her gaze, as if this was a serious point for him to make to her. Yet, this statement seriously confused a part of her.

"I don't get it."

"Why? Makes sense to me."

"Doesn't it change the whole dynamic of the relationship then? You can't go back to what it used to be… I don't want to lose his friendship."

"Look, if he's really your friend, he'll accept your choice not to date him. And… you should want your boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever to also be your best friend. A best friend with perks." It was during moments like these Mafuyu honestly thought he was the best teacher in the world. Who else could put such a strange idea into understandable words? He may have not effectively taught her about the history of Japanese emperors, but in comparison to a lesson like this, Takaomi had some of the most valuable teaching skills. His simple words lighten her burden of worry… yet it was still a burden.

"I understand," Mafuyu acknowledged and a light smile grew on her features. A similar smirk appeared on Takaomi as well. "What I really want help with is how to go on a proper date with him. He wants it to be special and I want it to be just as normal as when we hang out."

"So what's the compromise is what you want from me?"

"Exactly."

"That's one of those things you have to feel out for yourself, like the time when to kiss someone."

"So you can't help me?" What else could he do then? He might as well came out and said, 'I can't do a thing to help, but best of luck to you.' Somehow Mafuyu would have to not screw up this date tomorrow. At best, her and Kangawa could stay friends after their horribly awkward date. At worst, they would never be able to look at each other again.

"No, Takaomi-sama will help," He said in mischievous manner. Mafuyu liked Takaomi's words, but not Takaomi-sama's actions.

"How?" She asked in a genuinely confused and tentative state of mind.

"A mock date."

* * *

><p><em>To be continued.<em>


	5. The One Thing Mafuyu Needed to Hear

**Disclaimer: **No ownage of _Oresama Teacher_ or McDonalds here. Hopefully some pwnage, though.

**AN: **I hope this chapter will be as epic as I fantasized it would. Some big SPOILERS for chapters that have not yet been translated into English and a guest appearance by Hayasaka to come. And I purposely left the school schedule vague since I don't know how it works in Japan and made up a fake chain of restuarants. Leave me some comments! It bloats my ego—I mean inspires me.

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><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part Five_

Mafuyu blinked. And blinked. And continued blinking for several moments. The little hamster running the gears in her brain keeled over in shock, and in the process, shut down it. It wasn't until Takaomi repeated himself the hamster regained his senses and control of Mafuyu's brain.

"Did you hear me? Did the hamster in your brain die or something?" He glowered. Mafuyu quickly responded in order to avoid that dark aura Takaomi was a master of.

"You're saying you're going to take me on a date?" The words almost sounded too silly to her ears, but to the butterflies in her stomach, they were all the motivation they needed to start fluttering.

"A mock date. That way we can practice what you'll do on the real one."

"What does that mean?"

"What do you mean what does that mean? Mafuyu, honestly, you're too slow sometimes," He sighed out.

"Hey! I managed to graduate high school; I think that means I'm fast enough."

"Anyway, just meet me back here at 7:00," he looked at his watch and immediately got up. He began to pack a briefcase; now that she properly looked at him, it seemed like he was going to school with his attire and briefcase. Thus, as a proud member of the staters-of-the-obvious, Mafuyu asked him.

"Are you going to school? It's the weekend."

"Yes. As the new owner of Midori Ga Oka, I've got a lot of things to do before the next school year." He rattled off as he headed towards the door.

"Oh yeah," Mafuyu dully acknowledged. "So, I'll come back at 7:00?"

"Yup. Now I gotta go." For some reason, he just stood there at the door, halfway open ready to leave, and stared at her for a moment. The he sighed with irritation, "That means get out." Mafuyu squeaked a lame apology then made her way out of his apartment. Takaomi locked the door behind him, gave her a half-assed goodbye, and continued his hurried journey to work.

"Bye," Mafuyu cried as he walked away, eliciting a backhanded wave from Takaomi. This was no way to say goodbye after such an important morning. She owed more to him than her passive goodbye. She also wanted him to know how grateful she was. Despite all the taunting, abuse, and overall bad working environment, he was good to her when she needed it. Even when it inconvenienced him, Takaomi would watch out for her. He really was one of the best people in her life… and he should know that.

"Takaomi-kun!" Mafuyu loudly blurted out before really thinking about what she wanted to say to him. She thought by now, she would have grown out of that behavior.

"What now?" A ticked and exasperated Takaomi yelled back to her from the other end of the hallway. Oh, now she needed to say something. If she didn't, Mafuyu was sure something would hit her, with either his fist or his briefcase, maybe even a shoe or pebble.

"Thanks and congratulations on the school. I'm glad you won." Alright, that was good enough for now. Words could never honestly convey all the feelings she wanted to express, but this was adequate. It also was enough for Takaomi. Mafuyu made out the subtle smile sneaking on his face.

"I'll see you tonight," was all he said. Frankly, it was all that needed to be said.

* * *

><p>Mafuyu knew her mock date tonight with Takaomi was exactly that—a mock date. It wasn't real and was only for practice for her date with Kenkawa tomorrow. However, now having time to dwell on the events that occurred this morning, Mafuyu realized something strange. She wasn't nervous for her date with Kenkawa at all. All the nerves with that meeting died when it faced a new worry to come. And it was a quite justified.<p>

Mafuyu was nervous for her fake date with Takaomi.

How weird was that? Maybe it had something to do with the fact she saw him mostly naked this morning. Or perhaps it was that she held his underwear? Or even because his all-naked state stood only a few inches away from her behind a door earlier. Oddly enough, it wasn't any one of these that made her heart truly want to explode.

It was his smile. That smile which didn't have any words, but understood every single one of hers. His real smile.

Oh god, this was almost as bad as that trashy shoujo manga she made fun of with Hayasaka last week! What happened to the truly manly banchou that used to entice fear from all her enemies? Now that girl was fawning over her old childhood friend! Well, at least a part of her wish to become a normal high school girl finally came true. Too bad it happened when she was no longer in high school.

Yes, Mafuyu managed to graduate high school much to joy of her mother and friends. She didn't take any college entrance exams, even though many told her to do so, and her best friend literally spent months studying for his. It was always so strange to see the usually oblivious delinquent Hayasaka working hard at school. Most delinquents never form good studying habits, but he did, and he was amazing at it. Mafuyu wasn't surprised when he told her he made it into a good college. She was overjoyed for him and all that he had to look forward to. Yet, a part of her was deeply sad and nostalgic she wouldn't be able to see him as much as she used to.

Thus, to put off this sad separation to come, Mafuyu decided to help Hayasaka move out of his dorm this very same day. He lived on campus, and she found it funny that her and Takaomi somehow ended up going to the same place _again_. Nevertheless, the chances of bumping into him were slim since the dorms were a good distance from the main campus.

When Mafuyu arrived at Hayasaka's room, his door was already open, and she saw half of his things were packed into boxes. So much for helping.

"Hey, Hayasaka-kun!" Mafuyu greeted with a knock on his doorframe.

"Kurosaki, what are you doing here?" A surprised Hayasaka looked up to see her from his huddled position where he was busy sorting some books. Her little visit was unexpected, but welcomed enough by him; he was used to her weird ways by now.

"Yeah, I just came by to help you pack up, but…" Mafuyu lamely ended with a motion to his boxes. He waved her to come in.

"Actually, you can still help. I've got some books that need to be organized before they get packed," Hayasaka pointed to the pile of books next to him.

"Yeah, sure," Mafuyu agreed as she placed herself on the floor next to him and grabbed several books.

"How do you want them organized?"

"By author, then subject, year, and color," Hayasaka casually answered as if saying he only wanted her to count to ten.

"Um…okay." For a long while, the two worked in silence, occasionally bantering and talking about what they had to do together before he went to college. It was nice having a normal conversation. The last three she had were all weird, sometimes a little too romantic, and always made her blush. Of course, as soon as Mafuyu remembered her past conversations about kissing and dating, they refused to leave her mind.

After another lull in their conversation, Mafuyu figured she would ask Hayasaka what she should do about this situation. There was no way she could actually tell him what happened between her and Takaomi and about her date the next day; not only would he think she really had an affair with him, but also she's cheating on him. However, she knew she could count on Hayasaka for some advice. But, how to get it from him without incriminating herself?

"Hayasaka-kun…what would you do if Usa-Chan Man asked you out on a date?"

"I did go on a date with Usa-Chan Man," Hayasaka ended with a lovelorn sigh. "It was amazing."

"Well, didn't Yui ask Usa-Chan Man out for you?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, what if Usa-Chan Man asked you out instead?"

"I would go to the nearest field of flowers and frolic," Hayasaka replied with one of his most serious expressions. Apparently delinquents and frolicking go hand in hand.

"You shouldn't say that so normally."

"It's true!"

"Wouldn't you be nervous? I mean what if you did something wrong and it messed up the whole thing?" Mafuyu worried she might have given herself away at that moment. Fortunately, Hayasaka took the question with genuine contemplation. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he answered.

"I never thought about it that way…well, I would still go. I would rather have had the chance and taken it than pass it up in fear of something. Love requires risk, I think." For someone who's in love with a person without a face, Hayasaka sure held a profound viewpoint on love. But, Mafuyu wasn't asking about love. She was asking about dating. There are completely different things! Still… his words rang true for her predicament.

"Why do you ask? Did Usa-Chan Man ask me out? Tell me Kurosaki! Tell me!" Hayasaka nearly lunged at her and shook her to death in the name of his beloved bunny.

"No—it was just an example! I was curious about what you would say! That's all," Mafuyu argued before he shook her brain out of her head. He let go, apparently his excitement quelled, but another emotion appeared on his features: suspicion.

"That's weird Kurosaki." He gave her funny look and blinked several times. "Can you pass me that red book?" And oblivious Hayasaka saved her.

"Thanks, Hayasaka," Mafuyu sincerely said as she passed him the red book. She looked straight into his eyes, even though his were squinted in wariness.

"For what?"

"Just…thanks. That's all." Mafuyu returned to her pile of books, and eventually she saw him do the same out of the corner of her eye. He might have given her another incredulous stare, but she didn't care. He was a good friend even if they never acknowledged it allowed. She smiled to herself in thought.

* * *

><p>"What took you so long?"<p>

Oh there were hundreds of reasons why she was nearly a half hour late for this mock date. Firstly, she stayed at Hayasaka's until five, then it took almost an hour to get home, and of course when she got home she had to pick out something to wear. Secondly, Mafuyu took an hour on figuring out what she would wear. Originally, she thought of keeping on her shorts and loose tee shirt, but if they were really going to do this, she should at least wear something that didn't make her look like a prepubescent boy. So, she hunted her closet and drawers for anything girly. Mafuyu could've sworn she owned at least one dress; alas it was nowhere to be found. She came upon a couple of skirts, but then she faced the task of finding something to match it. Eventually, her quest to find _anything_ suitable for this date—mock date—took longer than she expected.

Thus when Takaomi asked her what took so long, Mafuyu refused to give him the true answer. It was too embarrassing for her to bear. The thought that he might know she didn't own any girl clothes was rather shameful—considering she is a girl. Odd she didn't feel the same way the one time he borrowed her clothes when she came to Midori Ga Oka. Interesting.

"Um…nothing," Mafuyu said casually, taking a look at a very fascinating pebble on the ground.

"You weren't trying to find something nice to wear all this time, were you?" Takaomi looked at her from top to bottom, assessing her. Apparently she looked girly enough for him to notice.

"No!" She defended too quickly. And with that smirk sneaking up again, she knew she was caught. He spared her any more humiliation.

"Alright then. Where's the place this guy said he'd meet you?"

"Ame's Café."

"All the way out there! No, there's a McDonald's down the street—"

"What? We're not going there! At least pick something that's not in every country." After spending as much time as she did picking out an outfit, Mafuyu was at least going to show it off! Takaomi contemplated for a moment…if he said Jack in the Box next she might have to punch him.

"Hmm…what about Super Soba?" It was a soba noodle chain restaurant, but at least they had waiters and nice tables.

"Well, they're only in Japan, so fine," Mafuyu accepted.

"Okay then, let's go." Mafuyu moved to walk ahead, but she heard Takaomi _ahem_ next to her. He held his arm out to her. What the hell was he doing?

"What?" Mafuyu looked between his arm and face, trying to figure it out. He might as well ask who the president of Uruguay is; the reaction would be the same.

"You're supposed to hook your arm around mine." He tempted to roll his eyes, but instead motion with his other hand at the arm. "Haven't you been a date before?" Apparently people did this on dates. She would have to write that down later in her _Romantic Lovely Tips_ dairy she started.

"Yeah. Once—you know that time with Okegawa." At the time, she really didn't know it was a date though.

"Oh…well, here's the first lesson. A guy will offer his arm at some point on a first date. It shows that he's a gentleman, and girls—most girls—like that." Did he look at her funny when he said most girls? Alright, she isn't like most girls. Still, she _is_ a girl.

Mafuyu made her attempt to link their arms. It didn't work. Their arms were reminiscent of one who was on the Yellow Brick Road. He gave her a small glare, not as severe as one she faced in the past. In fact, there was a hint of… amusement? She began to question his expression, but before any real thought could form, he took her hand. Hers looked so small and almost feminine compared to his. Mafuyu always thought her hands were boyish and meant for creating pain; now it seemed they were better matched in the hand of another. He moved her hand to the crook of his arm, and took a moment to inspect the position. Why was he looking at her hand for so long? Why was his still there?

Oh no! She cursed her blood vessels in her face. She felt the tall tale signs of blushing. In response, Mafuyu downcast her head, hoping to hide the red tint.

"There we go," Takaomi noted calmly as he patted her hand one last time. "Let's go."

Thus began the night of the mock date.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued… <em>


	6. The One Thing Mafuyu Dreaded and Enjoyed

**Disclaimer: **I own _Oresama Teacher_. Oops. I forgot to put _don't_ in that first sentence. It's a nice thought though. Same goes for McDonald's and M&M's. However, I will call dibs on the name _Evil Monkeys and Alien-Cowboys on a Plane_. Try to guess where I got that one.

**AN: **Oh boy, here we go guys. The mock date. _Dun Dun DUNNNN! _This thing took forever to properly finish, so I hope it is worth the wait. And as a heads up, we're closer to the end rather than the beginning now. So, enjoy!

* * *

><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part Six_

Mafuyu could hardly wrap her head around what was happening right now. It was nothing she could've ever imagined, completely unexpected. Yet, one is always supposed to expect the unexpected, right? Mafuyu forgot that important rule momentarily as concocted this bizarre proposal for Takaomi. Now, here she was walking in public with a girly outfit on, her arm linked with Takaomi's, as they were heading towards Super Soba. On a date. A_ mock _date_._

Despite the title of mock date, Mafuyu certainly felt as nervous as if she was on a real date. Or was she? This was the first date that she ever went on (well, a date that she knew was a date and one that didn't involve her disguised). It was her first date that she actually felt strongly for. She already did several things considered normal on a date. First, she arrived fashionably late (because she literally had next to nil to wear), and secondly, she linked her arm with her date (though she did it like an idiot when she tried to do it herself). Mafuyu wondered what normal date things would come next.

So far, the walk to Super Soba was quiet, but not necessarily uncomfortable—for Takaomi. Upon his features was the expression of aloofness, although Mafuyu always felt his smug, confident aura in the air as well. He looked contented, unfazed, and not at all over-thinking this mock date. For him it was probably just that—a mock date. On the other hand, Mafuyu was quiet too. Except she was quiet out of sheer awkwardness and embarrassment, and felt completely uncomfortable. Her thoughts were fighting each other at the speed of light, and it wouldn't surprise her if her heart exploding condition turned into a brain exploding condition. How she rationalized this plot to have Takaomi teach her how to kiss was a good idea, Mafuyu would forever question.

Fortunately, just as Mafuyu was on the brink of sprinting away from Takaomi, this mock date, and all the strange emotions it was giving her, they arrived at the restaurant. The two of them went to the front counter and were told to wait several minutes before they got a table. They only waited a bit longer, and it was surprisingly quick at how soon they got a table considering it was a Saturday night.

Once seated at their table, Mafuyu delved into the menu, if only to distract herself from Takaomi and this mock date for a moment. There was nothing she was too crazy about as it was Super Soba and that sort of implied everything here was soba, and not something she was in the mood for. After reading the menu at least five times and finding nothing to like or any other way to hide from Takaomi, she ventured a quick look to Takaomi.

Takaomi was staring back at her, almost as if he was anticipating her glance. And his stare was so intense, it turned into a glare, and that glare of course summoned his deadly, soul-sucking aura. Then he sighed, irritation still present, and set down his menu and pushed hers down as well before she could hide again.

"What is with you, tonight? You've been so quiet all night it's almost as bad as when you're too talkative," he said to her, clearly annoyed, but also…_concerned_? Mafuyu's eyes must be going crazy as well. Somehow, she managed a reply as her senses were breaking down before her.

"Nothing. I'm fine, but I don't know about you? Are you fine? I think you're the one—" Mafuyu sputtered out, reverting to the opposite side of not talking at all to talking at a million miles per second. However, Takaomi cut her off, his expression still annoyed, but also somewhat disappointed and serious.

"Mafuyu, if this date is really going to make this uncomfortable the whole night, then we can—"

"No!" Why did she burst out like that? She knew a part of her wanted to take the escape he was offering, but there was also a weird part of her that wanted to do this. It was that same part of her that justified her insane idea to have Takaomi teach her how to kiss. He looked at her, most definitely confused by her actions, and expected more explanation. "No, I want to do this… I'm just a little nervous," she ended with a little shaky sigh. That statement of hers was probably her first honest, unflustered one of the night, yet it was also incredibly difficult to admit.

Apparently, Takaomi deemed it worthy enough to drop his annoyed expression. He still looked concerned, but also relieved to hear those words. Then he chuckled at her for a moment. _That jerk._ She finally let out the normal part of her in those words, and now he was laughing! Before she reached across the table to smack him, he replied back.

"You don't need to be nervous. It's just me." Perhaps that was why she was so nervous in the first place, but Mafuyu didn't fathom that possibility at the moment. "Relax, that's all you need to do," he noted as he looked back at his menu. He continued on in an off-handed manner as browsed through the choices of soba. "Don't think about it as a date then if it makes you nervous. As cute as you are when you're flustered, it'll probably turn off most guys." Mafuyu thought she should be offended by that last comment, but for some reason all she thought about was _he called me cute_.

"Alright then. I'll try that." She wouldn't think about it as a date for the rest of the night. Instead, she was just hanging out with one of her friends. Mafuyu could handle that.

"See anything you want yet?"

"Not really."

"Me neither. You sure you don't want to go to McDonald's?" He asked as he flicked his gaze back at her. She muddled with the idea.

"Fine, let's go," she sighed out.

* * *

><p>They shuffled out of the restaurant, pushing by the waiter just arriving at their table. Once outside the restaurant, Takaomi didn't offer his arm again, and frankly Mafuyu was glad he didn't. It reminded her of a date. All she really wanted to do was have fun with Takaomi. After a block or two, they arrived at McDonald's, and it wasn't one of the nice ones she sometimes saw in Tokyo or other big cities, but the inexpensive, small, but clean and nice enough establishment. McDonald's was a place she was all too familiar with, as she had no skill on how to cook, and thus often went to the fast food joint. But, Takaomi seemed to really want to go there, so she relented to his offer.<p>

At the counter, a girl probably about her age took their order. She looked at the two of them, but smiled a little wider at Takaomi. He was all to focused on the menu above her head to notice her, though.

"I'll get a Mega Mac."

"Really? I can barely fit that thing in my mouth."

"Doesn't mean that I can't." He smirked at her, and for once she didn't feel flustered by his gaze. It was nice. "What do you want?"

"Hmm, I guess I'll get… the…Shrimp Fillet-O." She didn't eat shrimp between two buns often, so why not? Takaomi paid the clerk for both of their orders before Mafuyu had a chance to pay for herself. The girl took their order, and in near lightning speed came back with their food. She still had the stupid grin on her face as she handed them their burgers. If Mafuyu didn't know better, she would say the girl glared at her for a moment. Weird.

They found a table in a corner, as far away as they could from a family with several loud, crying children. She watched Takaomi try to fit the burger into his mouth, and despite what he said, it didn't. She snorted out a laugh in a not so ladylike way.

"What?" He asked, in a rather comical way with his mouth stuffed with the burger.

"I thought you said you could fit it all in your mouth."

"I said I could fit it in my mouth," he said as he swallowed, and continued, "That doesn't mean I call fit it all in my mouth."

"Whatever." She laughed again, eliciting a little glare from Takaomi. Just for measure, he took another large bite of the burger and stuffed his face again. As much as she teased him for eating like a slob, Mafuyu couldn't really say she was any better. She didn't necessarily stuff her face, but she had a bad knack for spilling things or making a mess around her mouth. Apparently, she did so as Takaomi pointed to the corner of his mouth, showing her she got some sauce on her face. She tried to wipe it off the back of her hand, as she held her burger with both hands. He swallowed the rest of his massive bite, and then said, "No, to the side a little more." She tried again, but he shook his head. "No, down more." She missed again. He sighed and then did something she didn't see coming.

Then he took his own finger and wiped it off. "There." He then proceeded to lick off the rest of the sauce on his finger. All the while staring intently at Mafuyu. With that stupid, smug, over confident smirk.

Seriously! Just when she convinced herself this would be a normal get together with a good friend, he did something like this to mess it up! She was sick of this weirdness going on between them. She was also very fed up with the fact every time he did something like this, her face glowed red. Mafuyu decided to herself that she wouldn't let the girly feelings come over her. Not this time. A million times in the last three days was enough. To fulfill her campaign to end flustered Mafuyu, she diverted the conversation.

"Thanks… so why did you have to go to Midori Ga Oka today?" Perfect. This would be a conversation where she knew there would be no flustered moments. Also, Mafuyu was genuinely curious as to what he would do with the school now that he owned it.

"Lots of reasons. I'm actually surprised at the amount of work that goes into it. No wonder it went down so fast when those real estate agents got it."

"Really? But you're not a teacher anymore, so what is there to do?"

"Well, that's one thing there. I have to hire someone to replace me and the old principal. Not a lot of people necessarily want to work at a school with a reputation for delinquents."

"But, it's gotten better since we first started. I mean, you were able to double the enrollment rate, and I bet not all of those kids will be delinquents.

"I hope so. Of course with more students we can finally open more classes, but that means I have to find even more teachers to hire. That's not even half of the work that has to get done before the school year starts though…"

Mafuyu and Takaomi continued to talk about the school, and she could honestly see this was a pressing issue for him. Mafuyu wanted to help. Again. Instead, here he was helping her rather than solving his own problems. She felt guilty for that. Yet, Mafuyu couldn't see any sort of way she could help him. She didn't go to Midori Ga Oka anymore. How else could she help besides getting out of the way?

"Let's talk about something else. I'm dragging you into my stuff again."

"What? No—it's fine… And you never dragged me into it in the first place," she said as she finished off her burger. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a questioning expression on Takaomi's features. Reluctantly, she continued on. "I wanted to help…and I still want to."

"Thanks," he said in a completely genuine tone. She rarely heard that word from Takaomi, but she could tell he meant it. It wasn't the word that showed his true meaning, but that smile she saw on him.

Mafuyu liked that smile.

* * *

><p>After dinning on the exquisite, nutritious meals at old McDonald's, Takaomi thought it would be best to go to a movie, as that was what she was supposed to do with Kangawa the following night. Mafuyu really didn't understand why movies were always the place to take a date. All you did was just sit in a room and watch some overrated movie—well, the room was <em>dark<em>. Maybe that had something to do with it.

There weren't too many movies Mafuyu was crazy about that night. She saw Nekomata-san was again playing there—and immediately knew that was off the list. Between the spells of sleep the movie usually casts over its audience and the memory of the last one she saw, it just gave a bad vibe now. She suspected that Takaomi wanted to go see an action movie, but oddly, he let her choose the movie. _Evil Monkeys and Alien-Cowboys on a Plane_ sounded good to her. He looked at her like she grew another head when she told him that was the one.

"No."

"What? It sounds cool. You just don't have the acquired taste in movies as I do," she teased back.

"I refuse to torture my eyes to that thing considered a cinematic film," Takaomi concluded, and went up to the box office to pay for a movie. When he handed her the ticket, she saw that he bought tickets for _Evil Monkeys and Alien-Cowboys on a Plane_. "Now then, that doesn't mean I won't pay money to make fun of something this bad."

Once inside the theater, Takaomi told her they had to sit at the very top, in order to avoid catching stupid. He made up all the steps in no time with his long legs, yet Mafuyu, with her much shorter ones, kept up with him. They situated themselves in the creaky, chairs and, as custom, promptly put their feet on top of the seats in front on them. More people busted in over the next few minutes, but no one dared take the seats in front of them or even scold them. Between the deadly auras of Takaomi and Mafuyu, anyone one that attempted to sit in those seats immediately regretted it. Takaomi got up as soon as the room dimmed and the previews began. Maybe he needed to use the restroom before the movie started.

"I'm going to get some snacks. Want something?" Really? Just after a Mega Mac and god knows how many pounds of sugar and salt?

"No thanks, I've had enough garbage for the night."

"Not to eat," he noted as if that was obvious. "I mean to throw."

"Takaomi-kun! You can't do that!"

"Why not? I need to show my disapproval of this movie somehow." He was serious, Mafuyu sadly realized. With a sigh, she replied back.

"Just get me some M&M's."

"Alright, save my seat," he told her as he left to prepare for battle. He was such a weird man. Nevertheless, Mafuyu snickered at the thought of Takaomi throwing bags of popcorn at the screen. If the movie really was bad, she might join in later. Now, this was what Mafuyu wanted tonight—fun without worry or awkwardness. She relaxed into her chair, stretching out her arms and neck. However, she noticed something odd as she did this.

Not too far, in a row or two in front of her, Mafuyu saw a couple. The man just put his arm around the woman's shoulder. Takaomi told her about that part before, but she never witnessed it. Despite the explosions and yelling coming from the movie screen, Mafuyu watched the couple in complete enrapture. They were looking at each other now, slowly getting closer and closer. Then, they kissed—deeply, slowly, but so intensely. Even though Mafuyu instantly felt like a voyeur, she couldn't take her eyes off. It was something so foreign that she couldn't help but analyze every aspect of it. She memorized the way the man's hand wrapped in the woman's hair and how the woman caressed the man's face. Nothing mattered to them, not her voyeuristic eyes or the other people in the theater. It was so intimate, so bizarre.

"What are you looking at?" Mafuyu nearly flew out of her seat when Takaomi casually asked her that. He handed her the bag of M&M's, looking at her intently, but not suspiciously.

"N-n-nothing." Mafuyu tried to reply back as calmly as she could. She thought she did a pretty good job, but somehow in the dark, he recognized her discomfort. He moved his eyes, and looked to where hers were moments ago. He found his answer, Mafuyu figured as he lightly chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, most couples come here to do that," he noted nonchalantly as he took his seat next to her. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing that to you." For some reason those words didn't really comfort Mafuyu. He was then quiet for a while, and she thought he decided to drop the subject. However, when she peeped a glance towards Takaomi, she saw that he was still looking at her. There was a smirk on his face that she knew too well and what that it entailed.

"What?" Mafuyu cautiously questioned. His smirk grew even wider, as he put one arm around her and eased closer.

"Well…we can do that if you want." The smirk on his face would give the Cheshire Cat a run for its money. Mafuyu couldn't fight back the gulp of anticipation. How was she supposed to answer that! What did he mean by that! Were his eyes crinkled in amusement at her nervousness or at the image he pictured of them two them doing… _that_? As she attempted to squeak out a retort, his smile eased.

Then he flicked her nose and said, "Just kidding."

Just as fast as it happened, it ended. Once again, Mafuyu evaded another heart explosion.

It seemed like forever for her to regain her senses, but they did come back. As soon as her brain functions returned, the hamster pressed the appropriate response button— fury. _That JERK!_ He played with her the whole time! Mafuyu knew she should be grateful that he wasn't serious by that statement, but she couldn't hold back her rage at the thought she was just something to toy around with! Before she really had a chance to think about it, Mafuyu punched him hard in his open side.

"OW! What was that for?" He rubbed his injured side with his other hand, seeming genuinely hurt. Mafuyu didn't care.

"You know what." Despite her harsh tone, Takaomi gave her a half-hearted smirk. He sighed, broke their gaze and went back to watching the previews. It wasn't really the response she wanted, but she decided to ease her anger for now and enjoy the movie. Eventually, her anger faded and she managed to relax as soon as the movie began to roll. However, when she slackened, she didn't expect to hit something with her head.

How Mafuyu didn't notice his arm was still there, is a mystery. She realized then he never moved it after he teased her. Why was she so slow at noticing these things? She glanced back at Takaomi, hoping to scare off his arm with her glare. It was to no avail, as he gobbled down on the buttery popcorn and kept his bored gaze on the movie. It seemed that she wasn't as good as he was when it came to getting under other's skin. Mafuyu, defeated, decided she would ignore the arm. He didn't mean anything by it anyway.

Soon, Mafuyu felt her eyes droop. Despite the awesome name, _Evil Monkeys and Alien-Cowboys on a Plane_ was rather dull. The last thing she remembered was glancing at Takaomi seeing him sucking on the straw of his soda.

"Hey, sleepy, wake up. The movie's over." A blurred Takaomi hovered over, shaking her shoulder.

"Hmm, what? Huh?" Mafuyu groggily replied. What happened? Did she really sleep through the movie? Mafuyu was so sure _Evil Monkeys and Alien-Cowboys on a Plane_ would keep her engrossed. Mafuyu sat herself up and took time to rub her sleepy eyes open.

"Alright, let's go, Mafuyu," Takaomi lightly said as he took her hand and helped her to her feet. Her eyes were still heavy lidded, and most assuredly, she was only half-awake. Mafuyu felt herself begin to walk, though how she was standing up, she wasn't really sure. Once outside of the theater, facing the bright city lights of the night, she fully woke up.

She was indeed walking. However, she quickly realized it was only because her arms were intertwined with one of Takaomi's. She was also leaning most of her weight onto him, her drowsy head lying on the side of his shoulder. For some reason, Mafuyu decided to leave herself like that. It didn't occur to her how initimate or close she was to him at that moment. All she cared was that it was comfortable, nice; why should she move?

Mafuyu quietly listened to Takaomi as he told her how the movie was so bad he couldn't bring the strength to throw popcorn at the screen. Also because she fell asleep on him, he couldn't really move around too much. Perhaps it was a good thing she fell asleep or else he might have gotten them kicked out of the movie theater. He also told her about the drool stain she left on his jacket. Mafuyu mumbled an apology back, and he seemed to grudgingly accept it.

Their walk back to Strawberry Heights was short, and Mafuyu wished they could just stay like this and keep walking around the city, talking, joking around, and leaving her head on him. She relished the last moments of the walk, trying to remember how he smelled or how she imagined his arm under the jacket she hung onto. The romantic sense of these thoughts never occurred to Mafuyu though. She was indeed a slow girl sometimes...

Once outside the entrance to Strawberry Heights, Takaomi and Mafuyu came across something they didn't expect.

Hayasaka and Kyoutaro "Banchou" Okegawa stood there, looking at the directory, completely oblivious to their approach. Both of them stopped and just watched the two boys for a moment. Mafuyu heard Banchou growl at Hayasaka, "I thought you said you knew where she lived."

Equally annoyed, Hayasaka replied, "I do! This is the place, I just don't know which apartment is hers."

"Well, call her or something!" Banchou snarled, looking like he was about the punch the directory in half.

"Fine," Hayasaka quickly slammed a key onto his phone.

Mafuyu's cellphone began to ring.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued…<em>


	7. The One Thing Mafuyu Had to Win

**Disclaimer:** _Oresama Teacher_ is not among the items I own. Sadly, a ridiculous amount of textbooks, art supplies, and wires for god knows what are. I'm willing to trade.

**AN: **I am terribly sorry for the long updates! I have a legitimate excuse though… I just started college. So as you can imagine, I do have bigger fish to spear and filet. I've outlined the rest of the story, and it's just a matter of having time to actually write it. I do plan on finishing this story, no matter how long it takes! Thanks for all the comments and watches!

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><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part Seven_

As a true fighter, Mafuyu knew when to go in for the kill. However, she also knew when the chances were slim and escape was the favorable option. This was one of those moments.

Despite the lull of comfort she was in only moments ago, something inside her zapped on her reflexes. After hearing the first ring on her cellphone, Mafuyu immediately let go of Takaomi's arm. By the second ring, she leapt into the nearby bushes, twigs and leaves attacking her all the while. At the third ring, she slammed buttons at random in hopes of silencing her evil electronic device. Mafuyu wondered why it wouldn't quiet down, especially in the most dire of times; maybe it had something to do with it was the cellphone Banchou gave her last year on their 'date'…

Giving up on trying to turn down the ringer, Mafuyu decided to stuff it inside her jacket, hoping it would muffle the sound enough. She sighed for a moment, thinking she made it out of the line of fire.

Until she realized Takaomi was still standing out there in plain sight.

Mafuyu attempted to poke her head out of the bushes and motion him to hide with her, but it was too late. She heard the grumble of a familiar voice, and plunged herself back into the prickly bushes.

"Did you hear something?" Banchou's surly voice questioned.

"Yeah, it almost sounded like Kurosaki's cellphone..." Through the little peeping hole she made for herself in the bushes, Mafuyu saw Hayasaka and Banchou trying to find the source of the noise. Hayasaka was only inches away from looking right at the bush she was in. How would she explain herself out of this one? She saw a poor, dying rabbit in the bushes and had to dive in in order to save it? That could work…if she could find a rabbit.

"Hey," Takaomi casually greeted. He seemed awfully calm about this. _Too_ calm.

"Saeki-sensei, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I live here. I think I should be the one asking you two that question," Takaomi answered, taking a few steps closer to the boys, hands in his pockets and smugness ever present.

"Hayasaka, you idiot! This can't be the right place!" Banchou barked back at Hayasaka. He seemed more upset by this statement than what seemed normal. The expression on his face was awfully reminiscent of one she witnessed several times before. It was his signature scary look, but it almost seemed too serious considering the circumstances… Why was he there? Why was he looking for her?

"I guess so. Alright, sensei, we'll catch you later." Hayasaka shrugged back to Banchou, in a half-assed apology. The two began to walk away, and Mafuyu immediately felt herself breathing again. She was saved. No more twigs in her hair, no more branches scratching her, and no more awkward interludes with males that potentially wanted to romance her. The sigh of relief was just about to leave her lips.

"Are you guys looking for Kurosaki?" Wait. What? What was he doing? She was home clear! Well, maybe he was making sure they wouldn't come back and look for her? He had his periodic bouts of chivalry and hidden kindness, right? Maybe this would be her shoujo manga moment when he would protect her from the mean boys who also secretly liked her? A girl could hope… but this was Takaomi, the ruler of sadism.

"…Maybe. What's it to you?" Banchou warily replied.

"I figured you'd want to see her instead of me," Takaomi remarked as he off-handedly inspected his nails. "Her apartment's right next to mine." Ah yes. Now that's the Takaomi she knew and hated. No chivalry or shoujo moments for poor Mafuyu. Why would he tell them that? For his own twisted amusement perhaps? Probably.

"What? I thought you guys really were just childhood friends!" Hayasaka exclaimed.

"We are. She just happened to move in next door to me. Purely coincidence."

"…Have you been inside of her place?" Banchou asked, sounding almost scared of hearing his answer.

"Yeah… What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh my god! You are really having an affair with her! You sick man!" As expected, Hayasaka jumped to most illogical conclusion. Banchou looked equally mortified by his outcry. The last time this happened, she and Takaomi had a good explanation. Mafuyu wasn't so sure if it would work it's magic again. She just prayed he wouldn't rat out her hiding place in the bushes.

"Didn't we clear this up already?" Takaomi replied exasperated. Well, at least he wasn't making their ideas of them frolicking in fields any worse.

However, that wasn't what caught Mafuyu's attention at the moment. Instead, a heavy, something akin to a killing aura appeared. She tried to sense who's it was. All of the males out there had their deadly auras, and oddly enough, over time Mafuyu was able to distinguish them. Hayasaka's was the lightest as he would never hold the desire to truly annihilate another. Banchou's was slightly heavier, perhaps due to his experience as a banchou and his unwavering loyalty to his gang. Of course, Takaomi's was the heaviest and scariest; sometimes the sky actually seemed darker when his killing intent arose.

If her senses were correct, this aura wasn't a killing one. Yet, it was something almost as strong and equally intent on its objective. It wasn't light enough to be Hayasaka's and nor heavy enough to be Takaomi's. That only left one option.

"Saeki-sensei," Banchou began seriously. The shock and alarm from before evaporated as his aura filled the air. Whatever he wanted to talk to her about was very important. What he wanted though, Mafuyu couldn't fathom a guess. "Please show me to her apartment. There's something I need to ask her."

The air was still, quiet for a moment. All that filled the air was tension, from both herself and Banchou. Mafuyu anxiously awaited Takaomi's answer just as the boys. However, she was sure only she or them would like his answer. The battlefield was left for Takaomi to manipulate, as accustomed with his large schemes.

"Alright. I'm sure she won't mind." He made his move and Mafuyu heard the smirk in his voice. She wouldn't be surprised if an evil laugh also erupted.

That _bastard_! After such a lovely night of fun, he had to ruin it with this sadistic nonsense! How the hell was she supposed to get there before them? Was Takaomi really expecting her to run all the way up the back stairwell? He would of course take the easy way for himself and force her to do all the hard work. Typical, sadistic Takaomi. Just because his shoulder felt comfortable and his voice sounded soothing did not mean he could dictate her life!

No, Mafuyu refused to give into this bullying. She would stay in her spot until they left. There was nothing he could do to make her leave.

Mafuyu got a text message then.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_If you're not there to answer the door, I'll tell them you're in the bushes. Don't try running away either… I wonder what they'll think when they find my boxers on your bed? –Takaomi_

* * *

><p><em>Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.<em>

"Oh, Mafuyu-chan, I'm so glad to see you're here," Takaomi greeted as if he hadn't threatened her with his underwear, forced her to climb up at least a dozen flight of stairs in a less than five minutes, or bring unwanted company to her door. And all he had to give her was that cheesy, smug smirk.

Mafuyu steadied herself against the doorframe before answering. It wouldn't look too good for her guests if she keeled over in exhaustion, right?

"Yeah," Mafuyu huffed. She continued on in between heaving breaths. "Me—too."

While Takaomi acted as if nothing was bizarre about her exhausted behavior, the other two boys gawked at her in worry and confusion. Hayasaka ventured to ask after a moment of Mafuyu's wheezing in the air.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied as she wiped off the sheen of sweat on her forehead. Then she glared sharply at Takaomi—or at least as sharply as she could with her lungs pumping at full speed. "I was—just—running."

"Why?" Hayasaka asked as if she just told him she was busy cooking kitten flavored cupcakes.

"…No reason," was the best answer she could come up.

Before Hayasaka had a chance to pry on, Mafuyu was whisked away.

Banchou pushed pass Takaomi and Hayasaka, grabbed Mafuyu, and slam the door behind them, leaving only herself and him in her apartment. She could hear Hayasaka banging on the door, showing his indignation, but Banchou didn't flinch, grumble, or pay any sort of attention to it.

His normally odd behavior was even odder tonight. She could tell by the way his hands settled on her shoulders and how his eyes seemed to pierce through her. She didn't like the signs. Mafuyu dearly hoped he wasn't here to talk about their last date. Why would he bring it up now anyway? Why was her history with him coming up now? It once felt like a distant memory, but now with all that's happened with Takaomi, the date she received her first kiss seemed only a few days old.

Banchou finally cleared his throat, a subtle blush on his cheeks, and asked her what she dreaded.

"Morse Girl, will you go out with me?"

"…Um…?" Of course he would ask her the last question she wanted to answer at that moment. Mafuyu couldn't bear to look him in the eyes and turn him down. His manner was so serious, so horribly heartfelt and honest, she didn't know if she could say no. She liked Banchou. He was funny in his own way, devoted to his friends, and almost as badass as her. Yet, Mafuyu didn't know if those feelings would ever grow beyond that. Apparently his did. How or why, she always wondered ever since their kiss.

"Let me make up for what happened!" Banchou pleaded in the most desperate voice she ever heard from him. To anyone else it may have sounded like a demand, but Mafuyu could tell it wasn't meant as an order. His eyes may have been fierce then, but they were also fraught and anxious. How could she respond to those eyes and not break his heart?

Mafuyu, regaining her senses after the quickness of these moments, tried to find the right words. "Well, um—"

Her words were cut off as his hands slid down her arms. His much larger hands took hold of hers. She vaguely remembered experiencing the same sensation earlier tonight. He didn't look at her, but she could still sense the heaviness and sincerity in his actions. "I like you… Mafuyu."

Wow. This was serious. He never said her name before. In fact, she was almost positive she never heard her name from him. It was always Morse Girl, Natsuo, or even thar one time he called her a prince. However, this was her true name he just said. Mafuyu realized then how important this was to him… how important she was to him. Feeling sympathy mixed with dread, she made her decision.

"Alright," Mafuyu answered quietly. It wouldn't hurt to give him a chance, would it? She survived one date with him and another with Takaomi already. Mafuyu was sure she could bear one more. "When do you want to do it?"

"Tomorrow night."

Seriously! Was this Mafuyu seduction weekend or something? She already agreed to go out with Kenkawa tomorrow night. She couldn't cancel on him, especially when he was travelling all the way here to meet her. Banchou wouldn't mind if they went out a different night, would he? It wasn't as if there was no way he could schedule another time. She would just have to rain check him. "Well, Banchou—"

"Call me Kyoutaro."

"Okay… Kyoutaro… I already got—"

"I knew this was a stupid idea," Banchou cut her off, pacing around the room. He seemed to be arguing with himself more so than her. "Why would you want to go out with me again after last time? Sorry to bother you. It won't happen again—"

"Whoa, wait hold on! All I was going to say was—"

"How you never want to see my face again. I know—"

"No! All I meant to say is that—"

"You must already have a boyfriend by now. It wouldn't be someone as bad as I am—"

"Okay! Tomorrow night's fine!"

Oh _no_. What had she done?

The hamster in her brain was messing around with the gears again. She was sure of it. How she got into these situations Mafuyu would forever question. Maybe God or something thought it was to serve as a life lesson. Maybe it was just for some sick amusement. She wouldn't be terribly surprised if it was really Takaomi who controlled all of the inconvenience and hardship in her life. In fact, she would bet on it.

"Oh. Alright, I'll meet you here tomorrow night." She wondered why all the men in her life were crazy. Only a second ago Banchou was on the edge of a panic attack, and now he was all clear skies and sunshine. Mafuyu feared trying to reason with him again. He might actually jump out her window in shock and humiliation if she tried to convince him to reschedule. Defeated, and wanting to escape out of the window herself, Mafuyu gave him a half-hearted smile.

"See you then."

Banchou made his way to her front door. As he grabbed the handle, he stopped for a moment. Was that the aura of sincerity and seriousness she was feeling again?

"Mafuyu…thanks."

* * *

><p>After Hayasaka and Banchou left, the former grumbling, confused and the latter quiet, love-struck, Mafuyu grabbed Takaomi and threw him into her apartment. Now in her clutches, she didn't know if she should start by begging or ripping him to shreds. If she really thought about it, this whole impossible situation of going on two different dates on the same night was <em>his<em> fault. Had he never shown Banchou where she lived, Mafuyu might have managed tomorrow night. Now, she had to figure out what in the world she was going to do. With that statement, she knew Takaomi would have the answers. She just didn't know if she could bring herself to ask for his help after all the trouble he brought.

"Let me guess. Okegawa asked you on a date for tomorrow night?" Mafuyu's jaw dropped in response. Shock and anger fought on her expression. "That's what I thought."

"Yeah he did! And it's all your fault!" Mafuyu jabbed her finger in his chest, willing it to actually injure him.

"My fault? I wasn't the one who agreed to it."

"You brought him here! If you just covered my back, we could've avoided this whole problem!"

"Now, Mafuyu, that's a bit mean." Takaomi crossed his arms, looking down on her as if she was blaming someone else for her spilled milk. True, she was—but it really was him who tipped the glass! "He wanted to see you, and I obliged. If anything, I was being nice." How Mafuyu sometimes hated his ability to manipulate words and situations to his betterment. She liked it when it helped her out too, but not when it was she on the other end.

"Nice? You threatened to put your underwear in my room and mortify me, Hayasaka, and Banchou!"

"You needed some motivation."

"TAKAOMI!" With that outcry, she moved to lop off his head—or so she wanted to. If she could ever land a blow on him, this would be the moment she wanted to. This moment where everything really was his entire fault. It was his fault that she had to go on two dates at the same time. It was his fault that she was in these awkward, uncomfortable situations. Most of all, it was his fault for smelling nice—_wait? What? _

Alas, Takaomi easily caught her fist and effectively ended her odd train of thought. She wanted to struggle against him, try to punch, kick, or even maim him then. But, Mafuyu knew how all of those scenarios would end. With that thought, she sighed out her soul, and deflated against him. As she slumped her head onto his chest, she muffled, "Why are you so sadistic?"

"Why are you so masochistic?" he arrogantly replied. Normally, she would cry out with indignation at that remark (M in Mafuyu really doesn't stand for masochist), but she only half listened to his reply. Her attention was caught by the sound of his heartbeat. Was it always this steady?

"Don't worry. I'll help you out." Now, that caught her attention. She lifted her face up to look at his, trying to look uncaring, and unbelieving. _Try_ is the keyword there.

"How? Are you going to go on one of the dates?" Mafuyu did all she could to not smirk at that idea. However, Takaomi's mouth quirked up in annoyance, or perhaps amusement. He looked down at her, his eyes somehow looking softer. That couldn't be right. She must be getting sleepy.

"You wish. No, I got something better. I'll be your wingman." She quirked her eyebrow with that proposal, but before she could reply, Takaomi lifted a finger to silence her. "But, I want something in return."

"What?" She asked, her eyes squinted in suspicion.

"If you mess up these dates, I don't want anymore of 'kissing lesson' requests," He said seriously as he took her shoulders and lightly eased her away. Mafuyu continued to look on in suspicion. It was a risky deal. He needed it to make it worth her while too.

"And what if I do balance them?"

"I'll let you decide." Well, that was easy. Mafuyu knew exactly what she wanted—or at least she convinced herself that she did. She crossed her arms, looked straight into his dark eyes, and made her deal.

"If I win, I want kissing lessons whenever, wherever, and however I want."

Takaomi looked away from her for a moment. There was that serious contemplation on his features again, similar to when she made her first proposal at graduation. However, this time was different. Mafuyu wasn't scared, nervous, or worried about his answer. She knew he would agree if only to challenge her, and with that, she smirked at his answer. Takaomi finally ventured his gaze back to her, and held out his hand.

"Fine. Deal?" Mafuyu took his hand and shook twice.

"Deal."

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><p><em>To be continued…<em>


	8. The One Thing Mafuyu Didn't Buy

**Disclaimer:** I want to own _Oresama Teacher_. But life sucks. So I don't…

**AN**: Hey guys, again I am sorry this is taking long to update. But seriously, college has been very busy for me, no time to party, to fangirl, or even just be plain lazy. I do only plan on a few more chapters after this one. I can assure you, everything is planned out… just a matter of having time translating it from gibberish in my head to coherent words you all can understand. As always, I greatly appreciate the reviews and watches! Enjoy!

PS-Congrats to IKillatFirstsight for calling this one.

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><p><em><span>Teach Me One Last Thing<span>_

_Part Eight_

No matter how she tried, things never went according to plan when it came to Mafuyu's predictions about her life. When she was little, she was positive she would live peacefully as a bunny that only ate sweet cakes. But then Mafuyu realized she was human and rabbits didn't eat cake. When she was a little older, she was sure the older boy next door would save her kidnapped toy rabbit. But then Mafuyu learned that boy was way more terrifying than those bunny kidnappers and she had to rescue the doll herself. When she was even older, she was certain new high school would give her the ideal life of a typical schoolgirl. But then she discovered her life wasn't meant to be normal.

So when she had to go on two dates with different guys on the same night, she really shouldn't have been too surprised when her expectations were destroyed and molded back together in the strangest fashion. Yet, she was. Fortunately, she was not the only one in this bizarre affair.

"We need to make sure these dates are close enough so you can easily switch between the two, yet far enough so they won't notice each other." Banchou and Hayasaka just left Mafuyu's place, and now she and Takaomi were discussing the plans of the next night. It was getting late for her, but she was sure the next day would be even longer if they didn't figure out their scheme for tomorrow. She considered just spilling the beans to both Kenkawa and Banchou. It would be a lot less work than all this sneaking around Takaomi was concocting. Yet, that way seemed kind of hard too…

"Trust me, it gets really bad when they realize you don't have a small bladder," Takaomi remarked off-handedly, as he situated himself at Mafuyu's kotatsu table.

"Wait, have you done this before?" Mafuyu asked, disbelieving, as she also sat down. Takaomi cleared his throat before continuing.

"…Anyway, why don't you schedule Okegawa to meet you at the movie theater first, then have dinner, and tell your other boyfriend to do the opposite."

"They're not my boyfriends." Mafuyu replied, slightly offended by Takaomi's dubbing of the dates as her boyfriends. She really didn't want that—Takaomi making false assumptions about her just because he thought he knew the world. He opened his mouth to retort, the smirk on his face, but the eyes a shade darker. However, at that moment, Mafuyu's cellphone got a message.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_I bought tickets for the new Nekomata-san theme park in town. Meet there at 7. -Okegawa_

"You're kidding me." There was no way this _thing_ existed. How that dull, silly, although somewhat cute, cat was popular enough to warrant its own theme park was a wonder. Mafuyu wouldn't be too surprised if beds were all around the place, just to catch the bored to sleep people. Though she didn't particularly care for Nekomata-san, she did understand Banchou's love for him; a manly man was allowed a cute side too.

"Let me see," Takaomi reached over and took her phone after seeing her jaw drop. "I can't believe they actually made an amusement park for that stupid character."

"Takaomi! That's too far away! I can't make it between there, the restaurant, and the movie theater!" Instead of alleviating Mafuyu's worries, Takaomi blankly stared at her for a moment…then proceeded to start typing on her phone.

"Hey! Don't text him back!" Mafuyu stretched herself across the table to snatch her phone, but Mafuyu's futile small arms were no match for Takaomi. "What are you writing to him? Takaomi-kun!" Once he was done, he tossed the phone back, hitting Mafuyu's face before dropping into her lap.

"All done." Mafuyu began to make her move to throttle the jerk across from her, but was interrupted. Takaomi was one lucky man.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_Sounds way more fun than going to the movies. I'll meet you there at 730 ;) You still didn't tell me if you like chocolate or flowers better. -Kenkawa_

Mafuyu was slightly relieved at Takaomi's fast thinking. However, her old worries were replaced with new ones. "So I'm taking both of them to the amusement park? Isn't that a little risky?" Mafuyu was sure the chances of them running into each other was higher there.

"A little. But if it's as big as I think it is, you'll be fine. You have Internet on your phone?"

"No. Too expensive."

"Alright, I'll look it up then." Takaomi pressed some buttons on his fancy cellphone, and Mafuyu waited in anticipation.

"Just as I thought," Takaomi said as he held his phone out for her to see its content. It was a map of Nekomata Land theme park. It existed. "If you start at one end with Okegawa and do the same with the other one—"

"Kenkawa," Mafuyu corrected.

"—you'll be able to cut through here and keep both of them away from each other." There wasn't a smirk present on his features, yet Mafuyu could tell Takaomi was satisfied with his plan. She had to admit it sounded like a good plan to her as well, but she didn't want to gratify him so easily. It was bad enough when he was satisfied and she didn't like it, as with most of his schemes at Midori Ga Oka. So, she settled for an impassive, mild reaction.

"It sounds like it can work."

"Of course it will." Ah, there it was: the smirk quirked up at her dismissive response. Mafuyu bemusedly glared at him and his smugness, yet she couldn't really bring herself to feel too offended. In an attempt to end their silly glaring war, she asked Takaomi a question she almost forgot to mention.

"So what exactly did you mean when you said wingman?"

"Don't you know what a wingman is? I was sure you've seen some of those trashy American sex comedies, seeing your taste in film," Takaomi quipped, obviously still disappointed with her choice of _Evil Monkeys and Alien-Cowboys on a Plane_. Honestly, Mafuyu thought his standards were just too high; it didn't help that he thought her taste was so low either.

"No!" she jibed back, slightly hurt at the sentiment, not the accusation—she had seen the one about pie.

"Basically, I'll be there to keep a lookout on one of them while you're with the other one. It's like a spy, but less cool."

"Can't I do that part instead? That sounds cooler to me."

"I think they would be able to tell I'm not you."

"You never know," Mafuyu lamely argued.

"Nice try," Takaomi teased as he ruffled her hair. Mafuyu tried to look miffed, but she couldn't hide the smile breaking out. His trademark smirk grew a little softer, wider as well. Somehow, they ended up staring, goofy grins enveloping their features, for a moment that grew too long. Time stood still, and she didn't even realize he stopped messing with her hair. It almost felt like it was happening somewhere else to someone else. His hand lightly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, lingering there in that infinitely long moment. There was something in his eyes that was softer, not the usual sadistic or even angry glint she witnessed many times; it threw her off and Mafuyu couldn't help but stare at him even longer in a vain attempt to decipher those subtle eyes.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Mafuyu's cellphone received a message. The moment ended. Takaomi dropped his hand, immediately shoving it into his pocket. He averted his gaze quickly, while he loosened his tie with his other hand. Mafuyu shook her head out of its mindless bliss and checked her phone.

_Chocolate or flowers? –Okegawa_

Mafuyu sighed aloud, not getting a clue about why her choice of chocolate or flowers was of the utmost importance. She lifted her head, full of lackluster, only to see Takaomi staring at her again. A part of her was so tired from this long, busy, emotional day that she could've easily fallen into the lure of staring at him with a dreamy look again. Mafuyu wished she could make a pillow out of Takaomi's arm and use that for bed. Fortunately, Takaomi was not so prone to dazing off again.

"Well, it's been quite a night, Mafuyu. Get some sleep; we've got a long night tomorrow." Mafuyu was most definitely tired—she took that last part of his statement as meaning something else. She could only hope tomorrow would be less strange than this.

* * *

><p><em>Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.<em>

Mafuyu could've sworn that was her doorbell. She twisted in her bed to peek at her clock; it was about 10:00, far too early to wake up on a Sunday morning. It was probably some pesky salesman or someone just as unimportant. She shoved her face into her pillow, feeling the light touch of sleep covering her again.

_Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz._

Alright, who was this jerk trying to force her out of bed so damn early? Mafuyu flung her covers off, and stomped to her front door to give this ingrate a piece of her mind and possibly a bit of her fist as well.

"Took you long enough. Ready?" Mafuyu should have expected Takaomi's smug face to greet her once she thought of 'jerk'. And who was her favorite jerk? Mafuyu tried to conger up a smart remark, or even just a coherent sentence in her groggy mind, but none came.

"Hmm?" The monosyllabic sound was all Mafuyu could muster at the moment.

"Alright, hurry up." Takaomi pushed his way into her apartment, set himself to lounge at her kotatsu table, in the same spot he occupied last night. "I'll wait for you to change," he said as he stared at her expectantly, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Umm… Takaomi-kun," Mafuyu simply turned around to lazily glare at him from her position by the door. She crossed her arms in hopes that it would signify some of her irritation. "What are you doing here? It's only 10:00. You're like…" Mafuyu tired to count the hours on her finger, but lost track after six. "…A lot of hours early."

"You mean seven hours?" He teased, but didn't make any other efforts to poke at her slowness. "Well, we needed to do some shopping before tonight," Takaomi replied as if it was obvious what his reasons for this were. They were not.

"Why? What's wrong with my normal clothes?" She defended, pulling at her nightshirt that was at least two sizes too big. Takaomi rubbed his chin and looked at her with his knowing stare that was usually followed by an eerily accurate statement.

"Mafuyu, was what you wore last night the nicest thing you had?"

She _did_ nearly spend an hour trying to find something nice to wear. And she needed to do laundry if she was going to wear that outfit again. "…Maybe…"

"That's why we're going."

"Fine. Just don't ogle me like last time." Mafuyu made her way back to get changed, but stopped at the doorframe of her bedroom when Takaomi asked her to elaborate.

"Last time?" By the look of it, he actually didn't get the cue. Mafuyu didn't know how he could've forgotten about how he broke the Usa-Chan Man mask, nor how after that they had a little fashion show and created Natsuo. She thought he might at least recall the tease he made about her legs. Well, in his defense, Mafuyu realized it was a couple years ago and Takaomi was kind of getting old. She wanted to make a jab out of that thought, but she still wasn't quite awake yet.

"Yeah. Remember when we were trying to find a replacement for Usa-Chan Man after you broke the mask? There was the police outfit and the sailor one." The confusion stayed on his face for a moment longer. Then, for only a split second, his eyes widen with remembrance, before he concealed it with his usual nonchalant expression. Takaomi looked away for an instant before he flicked his gaze back to her and answered.

"Yeah. I remember," he answered rather stiffly, curtly. What was up with that response? Ever since she asked him to help her with kissing and dating, Mafuyu could've sworn he had these moments of acting _really_ weird. What on earth could it be? Was he just stressed from running the school, or perhaps it was something she didn't know about? Mafuyu didn't realize she was still standing at the door, staring at him, until Takaomi spoke up again.

"Look are you going to get ready… or do I have to help?" Takaomi murmured darkly. _See_! That's what she meant! One second he was cold and the next she could swear he was _flirting_ with her. Fortunately, Mafuyu regained her senses before embarrassment could get the best of her.

"No! I'm going, I'm going." Mafuyu closed the door behind her and released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. This was weird.

Somehow Mafuyu was at a nice, fancy department store on a Sunday morning, and somehow she was trying on at least a dozen dresses, and somehow it was a man that made her do all of this. Mafuyu knew she was a tomboy, but still—having a guy pick out your outfits was a little off-putting. However, once after the first three outfits, she didn't doubt Takaomi's taste so much. In fact, she was sure all of these outfits made her small chest look bigger…or maybe Takaomi was really just a pervert.

"How about this one?" Mafuyu asked as she stepped out of the dressing room with a white-stripped blouse and red skirt. For a girly outfit, it was surprisingly comfortable and, like she said, her boobs looked better.

"No…" Yet again—at least a dozen times now—Takaomi said no to a reasonably good-looking outfit. Mafuyu couldn't decide if his taste in women's clothing or blockbuster movies was more ridiculous. She went back into the dressing room and sadly took off another perfectly nice outfit. A moment later, she reappeared wearing a dark green romper with a creamy yellow sweater and brown-leathered belt. Once again, Mafuyu thought her chest was much nicer in this than anything else she owned at home…maybe she was the perverted one?

"This one?" Mafuyu asked again, giving a twirl around at Takaomi's prompting. After a sigh and drop of the shoulders, Takaomi replied.

"Nope." Mafuyu made sure to glare at him extra hard this time. His taste in women's clothing is _way _more ridiculous. Frustrated, she threw on another outfit, a white lightly ruffled blouse with a pink skirt. As much as she cringed at the sight of pink on her body, again she liked this outfit. Maybe she would ask if the skirt came in another color.

Mafuyu flung open the curtain of the dressing room, and sauntered out. In a second flat, Takaomi gave his rejection. "No way."

That was _it_!

"Takaomi-kun, we've already been here for almost two hours; one of these outfits has to look good," Mafuyu argued as she inspected herself in the mirror. What was his problem? Why are there so many clothes to choose from? Mafuyu cursed the fashion gods and Takaomi.

"Mafuyu, they all look good," Takaomi told her as he came up behind and looked at her through the mirror. "It's matter of whether or not they're right for the occasion."

"I think just wearing clothes will be good enough for the occasion." She glowered back at him through the mirror.

"We've gone through all of this work just for tonight." At this point, Takaomi placed his arms on her shoulders, and earnestly looked back at her in the mirror. "I want to make sure you get it right." Mafuyu moved her gaze back up to his face out of the mirror, and gave him a stern look. He returned it back just as intently.

"…Okay, this is the last one." Mafuyu didn't know how or why she let Takaomi talk her into these things. True, this wasn't necessarily dangerous or secretive, but it was almost just as bad to her. She was so disillusioned with the situation, she didn't even pay attention to the outfit she put on—well, she knew it was a dress because it was the easiest one to put on.

When she reemerged, Mafuyu pricked her ears, waiting for the dismissal again. She walked over to the mirror, ignoring his reaction. After a long moment of silence, she prodded him on. Perhaps it was so bad he couldn't bring himself to say no? "What? What is it? Please don't say you don't like this one either."

When he didn't answer to even that, Mafuyu turned around to face him. "Takaomi-kun?"

The expression on his face surprised her, even though she had just seen it not too long ago. It was that strange softness in his eyes again. His mouth was slightly parted, almost as if it was waiting for a breath to escape. However, this moment was fleeting, and Takaomi quickly regained his composure. "Yeah, this one will work," he finally answered casually as if he didn't just gawk at her like she was some exotic, extinct dodo bird.

Mafuyu needed to get to the bottom of his weird behavior.

* * *

><p>She didn't remark on his strange reaction until after he bought the dress (though, she tried to dissuade him from doing so after hearing the price tag) and were walking back to Strawberry Heights. It was a simple, dark blue dress. Sure, it cut across her chest in a nice way, and the length ended a little above her knees, but she didn't understand the grand fuss for it. They were only a block or so away from home before Mafuyu figured out the perfect way to confront him.<p>

"You've been acting weird, Takaomi-kun." Pure eloquence, or so she thought. Why beat around the bush when she knew going in for the kill was the best way to undermine Takaomi? Of course, he tried to remain calm and collected, but if she knew him as well as she thought she did, he would try avoiding the question with some half-assed answer.

"It's been a weird day. Usually girls bring their guy to the mall, not the other way around."

"That's not what I mean," Mafuyu replied seriously, not happy with his aversion.

"What do you mean then?" Takaomi replied evenly, not sure if tone was completely mocking or not. No, it seemed almost guarded, like he didn't want her to prod on.

"…I don't know. You've just been weirder today…like when you looked at this dress… and when I reminded you of that time I dressed up before," Mafuyu ended solemnly. She looked up from her walking feet to gauge his reaction. It was eerily still, and this usual coolness seemed to evaporate. He almost seemed _nervous_? Another weird response, what a shock, to Mafuyu. With that sentiment, she remarked on it.

"…And now…" Takaomi, somewhat surprised, looked back at her in disbelief. Maybe he wasn't so used to people peeking underneath that cool exterior he kept so well? Mafuyu was starting to like the results she was getting. It was weird, but somehow gratifying.

"You're looking into things too much. Stop worrying." Mafuyu wasn't going to fall for his petty excuses just yet.

"I think it's you who's worrying too much. I wasn't the one who wanted to get a new outfit for tonight."

"I'm just leveling the playing field, Mafuyu. I want to make sure you're well prepared. Don't forget this is a bet we've made."

"Yeah, and as I recall, you betted against me," Mafuyu pointed out as she stopped walking and blocked his way. Takaomi stopped and looked at her warily; a part of her knew she was losing her hold on him as the smugness began to radiate.

"That's what you think," he answered cryptically, as a dark smirk eased its way onto his features.

"Isn't it that what I should think?" Mafuyu accused back, grabbing at the front of his shirt. Her patience for his odd behavior was wearing thin. She gripped even tighter when he looked above her head, behind her, and smirk grew wider.

"Well, look at that. We've made it back," Takaomi lightly noted as he broke away from her lock and continued on his way home. "I'll see you later tonight, Mafuyu-chan."

* * *

><p><em>To be continued<em>


End file.
